Accordion



INVENTOR 5%# ATTORNEY.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l.. R. STAHL ACCORD-10N' Filed Sept. 15, 1941 Sept. 29,1942.

SePt- 29, 1942- L.. R. STAHL 2,297,032

AGCORDION Filed Sept. l5, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 By y ATTONEY.

Patented Sept. 29, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ACCORDION LeroyRagnwald Stahl, Duluth, Minn. Application September 15, 1941, Serial No.410,825

5 Claims.

This invention relates to piano accordions and has particular referenceto improvements in the mechanical actions thereof.

The principal object of the invention is to provide an improved trebleaction for an accordion and whereby the entire treble action may bepositioned within the treble head of the accordion and not extend withinthe bellows thereof as is common.

Another object is to tion of reed block support which makes possible theprincipal object of the invention.

A further object is to improve the construction of the reed plate'of anaccordion to provide a more rm support therefor and thereby preventingleaking froIn under the reed block caps, and which will give an easy,sturdy, and quickly responsive air valve action.

Still other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description thereof.

Referring now t the accompanying drawings, forming part of thisapplication, and wherein like reference characters indicate like parts:

Figure 1 is a plan View of a reed plate of an 'accordion embodying theinvention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the reed block caps, partly broken away.

Figure 3 is a plan view of one of the shift slides, for changing thetone of the accordion.

Figure 4 is a transverse section of the treble side action.

Figures 5, 6, and 7, are respectively, front, top and side views of theautomatic switch.

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 4, showing the switch mechanism inelevation, and for a better understanding two of the reed blocks areshown slightly lowered from tion.

In the drawings the numeral I indicates the keyboard, upon which thewhite keys 2 and black keys 3 are positioned, being mounted upon thetransverse shaft 4; the key-board extending a1; an angle from the treblechamber 5 as is common for convenience of the player in manipulating thekeys. Near the lower end of each key is fixed thereto one end of a shaftB, the other ends of which shafts are secured to the upper side of afelt or chamois covered clapper l. Between the key-board I and each keyis mounted a spring 8 for biasing the keys outwardly and thereby theclappers downwardly upon their respective reed chambers, in the reedblocks 9, IIJ, II, or I2, each chamber, of course, having the usualholes in the upper end thereof, which, together with the their normalposiprovide a novel construci clappers, form the air valves of theinstrument. At I3 is indicated the bellows of the instrument, and theair pumped thereby iiows through the reed chambers when the clappersthereof are raised causing the desired sound, which, together with theair may flow out through the grill I4 bounding the upper side of thechamber 5. Thus when a key 3, for example, is depressed, its clapper Iwill be raised, permitting air from the bellows to pass through the reedchambers II and I2 actuating the reeds thereof and producing the soundwhich then passes out through the grill I4.

A novel feature oi the present invention is in the provision of meanswhereby the reed blocks and all elements of the action are containedwithin the treble chamber 5, with no part of the action extendingdownwardly within the bellows of the accordion, as is common. This meanscomprises the stepping and inclining of the reed block support I5 asillustrated, it being secured in any desired manner along its end edgesto the walls of the chamber 5, so that the reed blocks are held rmly inposition, and entirely without the bellows I3. Furthermore the steppingand inclining of the reed block support, as clearly illustrated, directsthe sound more outwardly and forwardly through the grill I4 and which,of course, is desirable.

Referring now to the sound control means more particularly illustratedin Fig. 8, it will be seen that a switch key I5 is mounted on a shaftI'I, and which, through the mechanism associated therewith operates thesound control slides I8, there being a pair of these for each reedblock. The slides I8 are provided with openings I9 (Fig. 3) spacedlongitudinally thereof and which normally register with the openings inthe top of each reed chamber. Consequently if these slides are moved sothat the openings I9 do not fully register with the openings in the reedchamber, thereby restricting the air discharged therethrough, it willcorrespondingly soften the tone. To accomplish the movement of theslides I have provided a pair of shafts 2U rotatably held in positionabove the stepped reed blocks 9 and I0 bythe brackets 2| fixed in anydesired manner to the reed block support I5, and a similar pair ofshafts 22 is shown as similarly supported upon the other stepped portionof the reed block support.

Fixed to these shafts 20 at points approximately above the slides I8 aredepending rods 23, there being one for each slide although I have onlyillustrated one in full lines `and suggested another in dotted lines.The lower ends of these rods each extends through a hole 24 (Fig. 3) ineach slide and thus as the shafts 25 are oscillated, the rods 23 will beswung one way or the other and thereby move the slides longitudinally.To move the slides in the other banks of reed blocks Il and l2, I haveshown as xed to the shaft a depending link 25, in the lower end of whichis an elongated slot 26 (Fig. 2) in which the upper right-angularlyturned end 2l of the rod 28 extends, this rod 28 passing through a holein the rod 22. The lower end of the rod 28 extends through a hole 24 inits respective slide I8, and thus when the shaft 20 is oscillated thelink will move the upper end of the rod 28 one way and since it extendsthrough the rod 22, the other end of the rod 23 will be moved the otherway and thus impart a longitudinal movement to its slide I8 andsimultaneously oscillate shaft 22 and thus similarly move other rods,one of which is suggested at 29, the others not being shown, but it isunderstood that there is one' for each slide I8, and thus all slides aremoved when the shaft 25 is oscillated.

, 'I'o provide the rocking motion to the shafts 23 when desired, I havefixed thereto the rocker arms o upon either side of each of which isGili,

`provided the frame structure 3l, through either end of which the shafts2li and 22 extend. A central longitudinal slot 32 extends from end toend of this frame structure, and it is into this slot that the freetapered end 33 of the lever l5 extends and is reciprccable. At eitherend of each rocker arm is pivoted a flat triangularly shaped member 34,the bottom of one or the other of each pair of which is -always inengagement with the tapered end 33 of the lever I6. A pair of U-shapedsprings extend about the shaft 22, with their free ends extendingupwardly toward the rocker arms. A pin 35 passes through and projectsfrom each side of each member 34 and is positioned behind the adjacentupstanding free ends of the springs 35 to hold the bottom of one or theother of the members 34 in the path of the end 33 of the lever. Thuswhen the lever I6 is depressed, the free end 33 thereof will raise thelower member 34 (see Fig 6) and in so doing tip the rocker arm 35) toits other position, causing the free corner of the other member 34 toride down the hypotenuse of the lower member 3Q until their free cornerspass, when the springs 35 bearing against the pins 35 will cause themembers 3ft to reverse their positions in alternately contacting thelever. When pressure on the lever I6 has been released, the spring 3lthereunder will return it to its normal position at which time openings!9 in the slides fully register with the openings in the reed chambers.

In Figure 8 is illustrated in dotted lines at 4! the relative positionof the other mechanism identical with that just described, foroscillating the other shaft 29.

From Figure 1 it will be apparent that each reed plate or block extendsfrom one end to the other of the accordion and is secured at its ends bythe bolts 38 which extend through the reed block support and the frameabout the sides of the chamber 5. This is the normal manner ofsupporting the reed block within an accordion but it is found thatduring the playing of the instrument the span of the reed block from oneend to the other of the accordion is so great that the reed chamberstowards the center of the block vibrate and as a consequence of thisthere is a leak of air from under the clappers 1. To prevent such leakof air, I have provided supports also at the center of the reed blocksas by the bolts 39 and which prevent all vibration with the consequentleak of air, with the result that all clappers function perfectly.

At lil, Figure 8 of the drawings, is more clearly illustrated the mannerin which the central holding bolts 39 are applied in that the lower endof each of which carries a leaf spring indicated at 15| for engagementwith two adjacent reed blocks.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

l. In a piano 4accordion having a treble action and a chamber therefor,a support for the reed blocks of said accordion, tone control slides forsaid reed blocks, a shift key, and means comprising a mechanical linkagebetween said shift key and said slides and including a shafttransversely mounted within said chamber over said reed blocks,depending rods fixed at one end to said shaft and attached at theirother ends to said slides, to optionally move said slides, forcontrolling the volume of air and sound transmissab-le through said reedblocks.

2. In a piano accordion having a treble action and a chamber therefor, astepped support for the reed blocks of said accordion, tone controlslides for said reed blocks, a shift key, and a mechanical linkagecontrolled by said shift key and including a shaft transversely mountedwithin said chamber over said reed blocks, depending rods fixed at oneend to said shaft and attached at their other ends to said slides, tooptionally move said slides, for controlling the volume of air and soundtransmissable through the reed blocks.

3. In a piano accordion having a treble action and a chamber therefor, asupport for the reed blocks of said accordion, said support beingattached at both ends and centrally to the walls of said chamber andextending transversely thereof to prevent vibration of said reed blockand the consequent leak of air through the reed chambers thereof.

4. In a piano accordion having a treble action including a plurality ofreed blocks, and a chamber therefor, sliding valves for said reedblocks, said chamber being too small for the normal support of said reedblocks therein, a stepped and inclined support within said chamber forthe reed blocks of said accordion, and whereby said reed blocks may begrouped and supported wholly within said chamber, rockable shaftstransversely mounted over said reed blocks, rods xed at one end to saidshafts and at their other ends to said valves, and means to rock saidshafts and thereby move said valves.

5. In a piano accordion having a treble action and a chamber therefor, asupport for the reed blocks of said accordion, said support beingattached at both ends and centrally to the walls of said chamber andtransversely thereof to prevent vibration of said reed blocks and theconsequent leak of air through the reed chambers thereof, said centralattachment including spring means extending between adjacent parallelreed blocks and intermediate adjacent opposite pairs of reed chambers ofsaid blocks.

LEROY RAGNWALD STAHL.

